Columbia or Duke?

Applying to College
1

i really need help deciding and it’s crunch time

i applied as engineering both places… and while this would mean duke would have the better engineering program… i also heard that in college rankings don’t matter? especially if it’s undergrad?

i’m personally favoring columbia just cuz it’s NYC and endless opportunities… but many have been telling me duke’s engineering is superior and i should go there… help! can someone verify that rankings don’t matter? cuz that would be one of the main things holding me back from columbia

2

<p>Have you talked to the folks in the engineering department at Columbia - gotten the employee and grad school statistic?</p>

<p>A few places in ranking don't matter - a huge difference may be indicative of a problem. Might be worth looking at more than one ranking.</p>

3

<p>hmm i just searched online and this is what i got</p>

<p>Of those seniors graduating from SEAS in the Class of 2003 who responded to this survey:</p>

<p>43% have accepted job offers </p>

<p>20% have applied for jobs and are awaiting or deciding between job offers</p>

<p>20% will be attending graduate school</p>

<p>1% have not started looking for a job</p>

<p>6% are taking the year off</p>

<p>10% other</p>

<hr>

<p>is this a good/bad sign? haha</p>

4

<p>does anyone know if i'd get advantages from columbia's "ivy" title as well? help !</p>

5

<p>Well, I just made this decision less than 24 hours ago, and I chose Columbia over Duke, mainly because of the business opportunities I can get in NYC and Columbia's diversity.</p>

<p>However, i was accepted to the college, not SEAS which may influence you. From visiting Days on Campus, I met some SEAS Duke and Columbia admits, and most favored Duke due to the lack of flexibility at Columbia ( one person told me you couldn’t major in…say, Biology, unless you actually transferred to columbia college).</p>

<p>If you're set on Engineering, go to Columbia, otherwise I would go to Duke. And although there is the "ivy" title, it certainly isn't worth being forced to major in enginnering if you find you don't like it.</p>

6

<p>hmm yeah that is one thing annoying about columbia... because i applied to fu because i'm more inclined to do engineering, but not completely 100%... but i think enough that i wouldn't switch major i believe</p>

<p>do u think that i'd get a weaker engineering education if i chose columbia over duke though?</p>

7

<p>rchen, heres something u should really consider
while looking at 2 rankings
one based on the US news and one that ranked worldwide universities, u will find that there is a great disparity between certain universities. Some are only famous in the states</p>

<p>Columbia: US-9, worldwide- 10
Duke: US-6, worldwide-38
Georgetown: US-23, worldwide: 255!!!!
Penn: US-5, worldwide- 18</p>

<p>and the list goes on and on
but notice how awesome columbia
so stop having doubts</p>

8

<p>you're right...
i think i'll go to columbia</p>

9

<p>If I were choosing between Columbia and Duke, I would go with Columbia.</p>